Tech football Under the Microscope: Dee Paul

Editor’s note: A-J sports writer Don Williams continues his series, analyzing the importance of training camp for several Red Raiders who are trying to earn roles. For more player outlooks such as the one below, visit his blog at redraiders.com.

Dee Paul had no sooner won his 11th career track and field gold medal three months ago in Austin than he started talking to me, without prompting, right there on the track, about getting to Lubbock to start his college football career.

Winning the 300-meter hurdles was so 30 minutes ago. Besides, he’d won state in that event four years in a row. Nothing new. This particular afternoon, he was mad that he’d run a time of 37.78 seconds and just missed a 30-year-old state record.

He’s competitive that way.

I saw it that day. Others have noticed the same thing.

“The one thing about Dee Paul, he’s competitive,” Tech cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis said. “He’s self-motivated. You can’t put a pricetag on self-motivation. He’ll work. He’ll work. He’ll work. You want guys that will work and want to be great. I think he’s that type of guy.”

Paul dominated small-school competition at Class 1A Munday, to the extent that Tech’s football and track programs will share in his talent and even recruiters from Tennessee tried to sign him. And ever since signing day, there’s been speculation that Paul might be good enough to help the Red Raiders right away at cornerback.

Tech has a lot of candidates, but few certainties, at that position. Paul can run and jump in impressive fashion. In a little more than 24 hours this spring in Austin, he won four gold medals — going nearly 24 feet in the triple jump, knocking out the sub-38 time in the 300-meter hurdles and anchoring two relays.

He’s big enough — a sinewy 6 foot and 173 pounds.

Can he overcome the step up in competition and his age to factor in this year?

“That’s a good question,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “We’re assuming, just watching the kid run, he’s going to have a great skill set, and then it’s just about learning the defense, how comfortable he can get and how fast that can happen.

“But he’s a tremendous competitor. Just talking to him, he wants to be good. That’s half the battle.”

Most seem to share the opinion that Paul will perform. It’s only a matter of how soon.